Work Text:
"aren't you going to tell them about your birthday?" nene asked, staring at him, her face displeased. it was the day before his birthday, and while she hadn't been one to force him to open up, she wanted everyone to celebrate with him. she had tried so many times to discreetly bring up birthdays and parties, celebrations of all kinds so that the topic of when ruis birthday was would come up, yet it hadn't.
"my birthday? it's just another day, there's no reason to tell them," he answered, walking beside her as their houses came into sight. she stared up at him before looking back down at the road, keeping her mouth shut. it wasn't her place. if he didn't want to share, then that was that, but why did she feel so strongly about this?
"so you won't be celebrating?" she asked, watching as he stopped in front of her house, waiting for her to unlock the door and let herself in, just to make sure she made it in safe. he gave an awkward smile.
"don't worry nene," he answered before walking off, disappearing into his own house.
it's late at night, almost midnight, but she was certain that he was awake, and so she grabbed her phone, typing something hastily, her finger hovering over the send button. now wasn't the time to freeze up though, so she hit send. and like she had thought, he was awake, glancing over at his phone that had lit up with her notification, the only one he had received for awhile now. he stood up, a bit confused as he walked out of his room that was nestled away in the garage, opening his front door to be greeted by nene who was holding a small white box. he glanced down at it before meeting her gaze once more.
"can i...come in?" she asked as though he would ever turn her away. he stepped aside, allowing her to enter. she slipped off her shoes at the front door, being quiet since she figured his parents were asleep. she walked into his room, taking a seat on his couch as she carefully opened the white box in his dimly lit room. a small cake was inside, it really was tiny. she slid it off the now fully opened box, setting it down on the table gently. she then picked up a candle, nestling it in the middle of the cake. she picked up a tiny lighter, looking up at him. he looked a bit confused, and she could tell he was tired, despite how often he stayed up. she was tired too. he gently took a seat next to her, hunched over as he stared down at the small cake, his expression indifferent except for the small smile he let shine through. she turned on her phone, looking at the clock intently. it changed to 11:59, and so she began to light the candle. she struggled to get the lighter to work, fumbling with it until it finally worked, lowering the flame to the candle wick and letting it catch fire. then, with little confidence, she looked up at him.
"ready?" she asked him, watching as the clock flicked to 12. she took a deep breath before calming herself, starting to sing softly. he stared at her, watching as she sang softly and quietly, making sure that no one else could hear, but in that moment he wished she hadn't. her voice was so pretty, he wanted the whole world to hear it. when it finally came to an end she met his gaze, immediately looking back at the cake. he shifted his focus too, staring at the candle.
"you...have to make a wish, okay?" she prompted him, a hand hovering over his shoulder, yet never fully lowering. so instead, he took her hand in his, smiling softly at her before turning to the cake, blowing softly on the singular candle.
"thank you, nene," he spoke gently, his smile sweet. she nodded gently.
"want to know what i wished for?" he teased, pulling the tiny cake closer to them with his free hand. she pouted slightly, her brows furrowing, unable to stay upset for long. not that she really was to begin with.
"then it won't come true," she whispered, handing him a small plastic fork that she had brought with. he took it from her with his free hand, carefully cutting into the cake with it.
"then i really shouldn't, because this time i really want it to come true," he answered, bringing a bite of the cake up to her. she stared at him with an unamused look before taking a bite. it was sweet, a sweet that only birthday cakes get to be. he then took a bite himself. while she had been the one to tell him he shouldn't, his comment made her really curious. she then glanced down at his hand in hers, her cheeks flushing slightly as she attempted to pull away. he didn't let go though, giving her that same cat-like smile that he always did.
"l-...let go." she mumbled, watching his amused look.
"how heartless nene, what if my wish was to hold your hand forever?" he fake pouted. she stared at him blankly, taking another bite of cake from him before resting back against the couch.
"fine...for a while..." she mumbled, allowing herself to close her eyes. she was tired, but staying up this late was worth it after all. he stared with interest for a second before redirecting his attention to the cake. he finished the last few bites before following suit, allowing himself to lay back against the couch, leaned into her.
if rui kamishiro could make one wish, it would be to return all of the love wonderlands x showtime gave him ten fold, so maybe he would let himself get carried away and celebrate this day with everyone. all of them together.